Looking upwards toward the balcony full of
celebrities, McKenzie said, “My life feels surreal right now.”
Not because we were attending the Tuesday night
elimination show of Dancing
with the Stars—although that certainly could have done it—but because of
how far we have come in the past year.
Nourish is
growing. And we’re
thriving. And it’s so
incredibly exciting. Which
is what brought the two of us together in sunny Los Angeles—to give a presentation
on positive body image for the Domestic Violence Awareness series at College
of the Canyons.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Back to Dancing
with the Stars.
We have a new friend and mentor, Murray, who has taken
us under his wing, helping us grow our business and gently nudging us forward
toward our bigger dreams. He
also happens to work with Dancing
with the Stars, which is how we ended up sitting a few rows back from Kris
Jenner, watching a breathtaking guest performance of the Michael Jackson
tribute by Cirque
du Soleil.
We had barely made it to our seats on time, first
fighting LA traffic from Venice Beach Hollywood and then tottering from the
parking garage to circle the blocks surrounding CBS Studios in our five-inch
heels, looking for the right entrance. We
made a video of ourselves laughing, but we probably think its way funnier than
you would, so we won’t torture you with it.
No matter what your opinions on reality shows,
celebrities or Hollywood—going to a performance of a live television show is
exciting. After the show
taped, Murray gave us a back-stage view of the studio, walking us past the
press interviews of the celebrities and dancers to the production studios where
the sound, graphics and video are controlled.
Here are us in the Red Room.
Our night at Dancing
with the Stars launched a
great week for us, and one that seemed oh-so-LA.
For starters, we left our Venice Beach hotel each
morning to grab our ubiquitous Americanos and begin our day with a walk in the
sun. We strolled down the
boardwalk and by Muscle Beach, stopping to play on the adult monkey bars, to
end on Abbot Kinney Boulevard for a nibble of breakfast at Gjelina’s take-out stand. Our first morning there, we ended up
having a conversation with Tim Robbins about vegetarian, vegan and raw foods
and restaurants.
No big deal.
Every time we give a presentation together, we confirm
to ourselves we’re doing the right thing. We love speaking to groups, and we
usually get at least one person who says, “Your presentation made a difference
to me today.”
College
of the Canyons was no
different. Our
presentation, Nourishing
Yourself Body and Soul: Learning
to Love Yourself from the Inside Out, carries
a special message to young and old alike—we’re all unique and talented as
individuals, and we need to learn to love and appreciate ourselves for our
exceptional gifts without comparing ourselves to others or to society’s
supposed ideal.
This message seems especially important in the shadow
of Hollywood.
What better
way to end our week in Los Angeles than with a business meeting—at a yoga
studio? Our last morning in
LA together, we donned yoga pants and headed to Santa Monica to practice
yoga and talk business strategy with another entrepreneur. Not at the same time of course.
Like we said, it was an LA-kind-of-week.
And we haven’t even talked about the food yet. Los Angeles is a food-lover’s
dream. Restaurants with
sustainable food philosophies abound, and we sampled many of them.
To our delight, LA restaurants don’t seem to be
catering to the gluten-free fad, as we enjoyed some of the best bread ever. And pizza. Did you really think we wouldn’t
search for the perfect pizza? And
we found it, along with a bounty of other delicious bites.
Almost every dish at Gjelina was spot-on perfect, from
the beet and burrata salad to the roasted brussels sprouts to the savory lamb
meatballs. But the pizza
was the real winner. Crisp-tender,
charred and lovely, with a variety of distinctive toppings, like lamb sausage
and squash blossoms. We
were happy, happy girls. As
were our friends, who enjoyed the multi-course feast with us. It’s a great place to share food,
albeit a bit loud. But the
atmosphere is cool, with exposed lighting fixtures and an expansive,
multi-level live edge wood bar.
Registered Dietitian disclaimer inserted here: We are Registered Dietitians, and we
don’t promote overeating or excess. We
encourage eating real food. Food
you recognize. Food you
love. In moderation.
So we’re not
above eating lard.
Sotto serves thick-sliced, crusty and chewy artisan
bread, smeared with a delicious, savory and slightly-salty layer of lardo pestato, or pureed
lard. It was an
oh-my-heavens moment.
Other than the bread, the highlight of the night was a
special—the server described it as a southern Italian-style chilaquiles,
made with flatbread instead of tortillas. Topped with a fried egg and layered
with a luscious sugo,
it was, in one word—luscious.
Top it off with Sotto’s excellent sourcing of ingredients,
and it climbs toward the top of our LA dining list.
We met a friend at Mozza for a late lunch. Owned by partners Nancy Silverton,
Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, Mozza has been on our must-try list for a while
now. It doesn’t
disappoint.
Burrata seems to be omnipresent on Los Angeles menus,
so we caved in to the burrata with garlic-toasted bread and charred tomatoes to
start. So, so good.
As was the pizza, topped with sliced Yukon
gold potatoes, bacon and a glorious orange-yolked egg.
We stumbled on The Tasting Kitchen by accident, and
were oh-so-happy we did. Starting
with the crusty, tender-crumbed La Brea Bakery bread (from the original bakery
in Los Angeles) served piled high on a rustic wood board with butter and olive
oil, followed by a deeply rich Bolognese sauce clinging to housemade
lasagnetti, and a whole grilled branzino on a bed of chanterelles.
Real food, eaten with people we love.
Life is very, very good.
We know
we talk a lot about our love affair with great bread and pizza. Nothing
is as satisfying as a crusty (Lisa), tender (McKenzie) piece of still hot from
the over bread dipped in olive oil or smeared with a thin layer of butter…or
lard. You must be wondering? Isn’t bread bad for
me? What about gluten?
Well….here’s
our answer.
Gluten
Is Not the Enemy
Bread. Gluten. Pizza. Gluten. Pasta. Gluten. More
bread. Gluten.
As you
may have guessed, we eat a lot of gluten. And we feel bad for the poor little
protein these days. It’s been getting a bad reputation, and we don’t think it’s
completely fair. So here we are, coming to the rescue – hoping to save it.
What
exactly is gluten? Why should some people choose to avoid it? And why should
others choose to stick with it? What’s all the hype about? Let’s break it down
for you.
Gluten is the
protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats responsible for giving baked goods
their elasticity, volume and texture. For example, chewy, dense breads have
more gluten development (a fun little elastic network that develops during
baking) than light, flakey pastries.
Many
people now understand the common foods containing gluten, such as:
breads,
crackers, cereals, pancakes, pasta, pizza, granola bars, and other baked goods
such as cakes & cookies.
But, be
careful!
Gluten
can also be found in:
marinades,
sauces & gravies, salad dressings, processed deli meats,
candy (including some chocolate), ice cream, cream soups (and some broths),
nutritional and herbal supplements, and even some drugs &
over-the-counter medications.
Why?
Because
gluten is often used as a filler, stabilizer, or thickener in food products.
So why
should some people choose to avoid gluten? Well, some people are allergic.
There
are different levels of gluten sensitivity, including gluten intolerance and
celiac disease:
Celiac
disease is
a digestive disease. When individuals with celiac disease eat foods with gluten
in them, they experience an immune response. This response results in damage to
the small intestine and causes food and nutrients to pass through the digestive
system without being absorbed. The result is not a pretty picture.
Unlike
Celiac disease, gluten intolerance is not triggered by an
immune response and does not result in permanent damage to your intestines. For
people with gluten intolerance, gluten is poorly digested and causes symptoms
such as abdominal pain, extreme bloating, and the other symptoms mentioned in
Pepto Bismol commercials.
And why
should some people stick with gluten?
While
it’s possible to meet your nutritional needs when following a gluten-free diet,
it does make it more difficult. Many gluten-free products on the market are
made with refined flours and have been stripped of their important nutrients
during the refining process. Not to mention, gluten free products can take a toll
on your wallet and often on your taste buds.
Our
suggestion?
While
staying away from gluten is recommended for people diagnosed with Celiac
disease and gluten intolerance, there is no scientific reason for avoiding
gluten if you do not have the disease or another related medical condition.
If you
have been diagnosed with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, enjoy
gluten-free grains such as rice, corn, quinoa, buckwheat and millet and other
naturally gluten-free foods such as nuts, beans, lean meats, cheese, fruits,
and veggies. Taking a multivitamin will also help fill in any nutrition
gaps.
For
those of us without gluten allergies, focus on choosing whole grains naturally
full of fiber and nutrition. And better yet, enjoy eating healthy, gluten containing
foods guilt-free! The gluten-free diet is not beneficial for everyone and is
not meant for people eager to jump on the next big fad-diet bandwagon.
See? Gluten
really isn’t that scary after all. Bread anyone? We’re hungry…
